ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The U.S. Senate has passed legislation to honor former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall by naming the Interior Department’s building in Washington, D.C., for him.
The measure passed the House earlier, and is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman called Udall one of the nation’s most effective Interior Department secretaries.
Udall was secretary under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.
As secretary, Udall sowed the seeds of the modern environmental movement. He later became a crusader for victims of radiation exposure from the government’s Cold War nuclear programs.
He died in March at age 90.
Udall, a congressman from 1955 to 1961, is the father of New Mexico Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and uncle of Colorado Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall.
